Lucille Ball, Pam Grier And More Would Be Flattered By Yaya DaCosta's Latest Shoot

Somewhere in the world, Tyra Banks is looking at Yaya DaCosta's Instagram account saying, "Yassssss." The former America's Next Top Model contestant and the star of Lifetime's new biopic, Whitney, is serving face in her latest photo spread.

In her #ImEveryWoman photo campaign—which gets its name from Whitney Houston's famed tune—Yaya takes on the likeness of eight iconic women who influenced and inspired her.

All the images were shot by long time music photographer, Jonathan Mannion. As part of a countdown to the premiere of Whitney—which airs on Saturday, Jan. 17—she's been posting Instagram snippets of her emulated images as well as reasons as to why the women are important to her and to entertainment.

Flip to see the female icons she sought to replicate and stay tuned for the final icon tomorrow.

I AM NAOMI.
Ethereal beauty. Unwavering dedication. Inextinguishable fire.
Thank you, Naomi Campbell, for being the only reason I ever had the nerve to think I could model (you, and Auntie Iman, of course), and for inspiring us all, through your ageless allure, to be fierce! I love you!! #imeverywoman
Check out the iconic originals at www.yayadacosta.com
Swimsuit: Norma Kamali
Gladiator heels: Alejandro Ingelmo
Photographer: Jonathan Mannion @jonathanmannion

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8

I AM NINA SIMONE.
Sonic alchemy. Soul-wrenching pitches. Brutal honesty.
Thank you, Nina Simone, for singing truth to power, for teaching, and for touching even the coldest of hearts with your exquisite voice and light.
#imeverywoman
Check out the iconic originals at www.yayadacosta.com
photo credit: @jonathanmannion

I AM LUCY.
Irresistible charm. Vaudevillian genius. Comedic abandon.
Thank you, Lucille Ball, for being an ambassador for diversity on television and for making America laugh hysterically for decades.
#imeverywoman
Check out the iconic originals at www.yayadacosta.com

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I AM EARTHA KITT.
Feline friskiness. Syrupy femininity. Unapologetic bossiness.
Thank you, Miss Kitt, for fearlessly making showbiz love you for the quirky things that made you unique and for your unwillingness to settle for anything less than the best, in others and in yourself.
#imeverywoman
Check out the iconic originals at www.yayadacosta.com
Gown: The Blondes
Heels: Alejandro Ingelmo
Photo: @jonathanmannion

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I AM MERYL STREEP.
Unmatched mastery. Precocious wisdom. Sophisticated taste.
Thank you, Mama Meryl, for giving every character life as real as the breath miraculously given each of us at birth.
#imeverywoman
Check out the iconic originals at www.yayadacosta.com
Hat: Lola
Bracelet: Iosselliani
Earrings: Helen Yarmak
Photo: @jonathanmannion